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August Revolution (1993)
Not to be confused with the August Coup of 1976 The August Revolution, known by historians as the Itaterran Revolution of 1993, refers to a series of protests, riots and political violence that occurred across Itaterra from 8 August to 16 August, protesting the Rovina Dictatorship and the Military Council, calling for a democratic Itaterra. It came largely as a result of economic strain and sanctions placed on the nation, which itself was going through an internal conflict, the Viterbo Revolts. While the Prime Minister, Lecio Terme, made popular reforms, such as ending conscription, unbanning foreign goods and allowing less strict border protections, he still upheld the rule of the Military Council and the two-party system. Background (1986-1993) The late 80s in Itaterra, while defined in many other places by the popular culture, fashion, MTV and the end of the Cold War, was defined by the introduction of conscription, increased political censorship and growing sanctions on Rovina's regime. All males in Itaterra from the age of 18 to 25 were required to undergo a year of National Service, with many young men graduating from High School only to fight in the brutal Viterbo Revolts. In 1988, the Prevention of Rebellion Act was passed, which designated censors to every suburb in every town to make sure that rebel propaganda was not being spread. On more than one occasion, Conservative Party signs were called "rebel propaganda" for opposing the NAP government. While many working and middle class families were supporters of the ELNV, many were afraid to express their support, and if one was caught doing so, they could face up life imprisonment for "crimes against order". In only 1990 alone, seven-hundred and forty-four different people were imprisoned for this crime, the most famous case of which was popular Itaterran singer Gennaro Ardini, who had remained entirely apolitical until in 1990, he said that he "...like(s) Aliprandi...". Ardini had also become popular in Naples and the border regions of France and Switzerland, prompting fans from within and without Itaterra to protest for a trial, which he was ultimately not given. By 1993, Itaterra had reached peak instability due to the Viterbo Revolts. Warlords controlled land across Itaterra, a state of emergency had been in effect for seven years and Itaterra was under the leadership of Lecio Terme, a reformist whose reforms, while being relatively popular, such as allowing the internet and foreign media, ultimately kept the regime in power. The people had grown tired of the state of emergency, tired of continued authoritarian rule and most importantly, tired of the dictatorship. Non-Violent Uprising (1-8 August) On 1 August, a riot broke out in Rievania, started by the Itaterra Democratic Front. The protest, which had begun at 7:30AM that day, had amassed twelve-thousand demonstrators by midday. It had gathered conservatives, liberals, social democrats, socialists, communists and anarchists all together as one, fighting against the dictatorship. They reached the ''Concilii Forum ''building at 1:00PM, vastly outnumbering the police, causing them to request the federal government to send in Armed Forces to support them, but even after five-hundred soldiers were deployed, the protest grew and grew. At 2:30PM, the police commissioner announced on a loudspeaker that they would start using live ammunition if the crowd did not disperse by 3:15. This caused confusion among the crowd, with some leaving to go home, but many staying. To intimidate the protestors, helicopters were ordered to circle the building, all equipped with miniguns and explosive rounds. By 3:10, the crowds were about the same as they were after the announcement, causing the commissioner and the Major in charge of the IAF forces to fire tear gas at the protestors, hoping not to have to use live ammunition. Though the tear gas did disperse them, ten minutes later, at 3:20, two-thousand five hundred protestors began marching back, equipped with goggles and masks. The Major and commissioner agreed at 3:22PM to issue the order to the troops: Fire. In the ensuing Rievania Massacre, fourty-six people were killed, and one-hundred and twenty-five wounded, making it one of the worst massacres in the entire dictatorship era. The Democratic Front immediately condemned the government's violent actions, as did the underground Royalist Party and underground Itaterra Communist Party. The IDF, IRP and ICP all met together in one national meeting in Milan on 4 August to plan a reaction to the government's violence and the massacre. And so, on 5 August, a general strike across Itaterra began, with 70% of all Itaterran industry, both state-owned and privately-owned, being affected. The IDF leaders officially made a statement to the government asking them to bring back a multi-party system, reverse authoritarian reforms and bring back the monarchy (as per the agreement with the IRP). The government, in response to this, declared a state of emergency and deployed the military onto the streets. On 7 August, one day before the revolution began, mass arrests occurred in Genoa, as strikers took to the streets to peacefully protest. In fact, the jails in Genoa became so overcrowded that some of the jailed had to be taken out of the city to prisons.